The Battle of the Wheatfield :: The Close of the Fight

Caldwell was still looking for help for his hard pressed division. He found Sweitzer's brigade in Trostle Woods near the Wheatfield Road. Sweitzer, after conferring with Barnes led his men forward into the maelstrom. There was something of a lull as Sweitzer's brigade advanced, but Wofford's men were still advancing from the Peach Orchard area. Sweitzer's brigade advanced with the 4th Michigan on the right, the 62nd Pennsylvania in the middle, and the 32nd Massachusetts on the left. The brigade soon came under fire from Stony Hill and the brigade color bearer, Private Edward Martin, turned to Sweitzer and called, "Colonel, I'll be damned if I don't think we are faced the wrong way!"

To meet this new threat, the Fourth Michigan and 62nd Pennsylvania fronted towards the west. Sweitzer's Brigade was practically surrounded. Barnes sent orders for the men to get out, but for some reason they never reached Sweitzer's Brigade. A second courier found Sweitzer. The fighting at this point was very fierce and close. Sweitzer's horse was shot and a bullet passed through his hat.

The bearer of the National colors of the Fourth Michigan had dropped them. The skipper of the Fourth, Col. Harrison Jeffords had pledged his life to defending that flag, so when he saw it lying in the wheat, he jumped into action after it. Jeffords and a Confederate soldier both grabbed the colors. There was a tugging match and some hot words were passed, more Confederates and Federals were drawn to the spot. A Confederate soldier ran Jeffords through with his bayonet. Jeffords wound was mortal, his last words not for the flag but his mother, the highest ranking officer to be killed by a bayonet.

Sweitzer's brigade was in a tight spot and it was forced to withdraw. The regiments rallied behind a battery and the Ninth Massachusetts rejoined the brigade from Wolf's Hill where it had been detached. Anderson's brigade had made three charges against the Wheat-Field, supported at times by Kershaw, Wofford, and Semmes. At this point, there was only Ayres division in the vicinity to meet the Confederate units that had captured the Wheat-Field.

Brig. Gen. Romeyn Beck Ayres commanded all of the regulars in the Army of the Potomac in addition to a brigade of volunteers from Pennsylvania and New York. The volunteer brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Stephen H. Weed, had left the division at Warren's request to lend aid to the pressed troops on Little Round Top. This left Ayres with the regulars to attack the Wheat-Field. Sidney Burbank's brigade was made up of the 2nd, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 17th United States Regular regiments; Hannibal Day's brigade was made up of the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 12th, and 14th United States regulars.

Ayres advanced the two remaining brigades towards the field. Burbank advanced southwest toward Rose Woods. After they crossed Plum Run they began to be struck on the flank by the Confederates at Devil's Den. To try and halt this annoyance, Burbank posted the 17th off a bit to the left. Burbank halted his brigade at the stonewall east of the Wheat-Field. Day's brigade halted to it's rear. Burbank's brigade was advanced to approximately the same position that had been earlier held by Cross's brigade. This meant the line covered the Devil's Den and the left of Caldwell's Division. Burbank's brigade entered the trampled wheat, and were hit by a sharp fire. Ayres ordered the men back, to the north slope of Little Round Top. The regulars were being hit on three sides.

Day's brigade had waited while Burbank was pushed back out of the trodden wheat. A bullet had killed Col. Day's horse. Day's brigade was hit on the right by fire from the Wheatfield Road vicinity. The two brigades fell back together, trying to get out of the line of fire of Gibb's Ohio battery. The Regulars spent less than an hour in the Wheat-Field and accomplished little.

With the retreat of Ayres, there were no blue units west of Plum Run or south of Trostle Lane. The line set up by Sickles had been shattered. The Army of the Potomac was in trouble. It still held Little Round Top, to be sure, but Longstreet's corps had smashed through Sickle's poorly set up line. Later in the day, Crawford's division would charge to the stonewall on the east side of the Wheat-Field through the Valley of Death. Wofford's brigade at that point had been ordered back, an order not well received by General Wofford. At the end of the day as darkness settled over the bloodstained and torn wheat, the Wheat-Field was still in Confederate hands.

The human cost in the Wheat-Field had been ghastly. The 61st New York of Cross's brigade lost 60% of it's number, all killed and wounded. The 53rd Pennsylvania in Brooke's brigade had lost 59% of it's number. The 17th U.S. of Burbank's brigade lost 58%. For the most part, the Union regiments averaged losses of approximately 1/3. The Confederates lost similarly.

Of the commanders in the Wheat-Field, Colonel Cross died before midnight. He had been a hot tempered but superb commander. He had distinguished himself under fire numerous times and had been wounded numerous times. The Fifth New Hampshire monument, Cross' old regiment, marks the spot where he fell. He died before midnight, gasping: "I did hope I should see peace restored to our distressed country think the boys will miss me. Say good-bye to all." General Zook, of Philadelphia, died of the wound in his body during the afternoon of July 3rd sometime after the repulse of Pickett's Charge. His body would be interred in Norristown PA, in the same cemetery that eventually would hold the remains of his Corps commander.

Of the regimental commanders, Col. Roberts was dead, Lt. Col. Merwin was dead, and Col. Jeffords was dead. Lt. Col. Bentley, Capt. Richard Moroney, Col. Orlando Morris, Lt. Col. Hammell who had taken over the 66th New York from Morris, Col. Hiram L. Brown, Col. Ira C. Abbott, Capt. Henry Freedlay, and Maj. Arthur Lee had all fallen wounded.

In the end, the Wheat-Field had been a bloody mess, a sharp, very confused fight with much gallantry shown on both sides. The woods surrounding Mr. Rose's farm and his field of golden wheat had become an awful showcase of fierce attacks, stalwart defenses, and common heroism. The Wheat-Field is not as famous as Little Round Top or the Angle, but the valor and hard fighting that occurred there was amongst the best of the battle of Gettysburg and the American War of the Rebellion.